Slicing-machine



W. C. KNAPP.

SLICING MACHINE. APPLICATION mm mm. 21, m9.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920'.

ugvENToR a Man} {14...

pushed along a chute or guideway step UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER CHANDLER KNAPP, OF ROCHE$TER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO LIBERTY BREADSLICER, 1110., OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SLIGING-MAGHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 21, 1920.

Application filed March 21, 1919. Serial No. 284,037.

To all whomz't may concern:

Be it known that I, 'aurnn CHANDLER KNAPE, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inSlicing-Machines; and I do declare the followin to be a full, clear, andexact desoription of the same, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, forming a art of this specification.

y invention relates to slicing machines, more particularly to that kindof slicing machines employed for slicing bread and the like, in whichthe material being sliced is y step by means of an intermittentlyrotated worm in the base of the machine beneath the guideway. The objectof my invention is to provide means for protecting the worm from fallingcrumbs which interfere with its freedom of action. Another object of myinvention is to provide a machine of this kind with an improved form ofpusher which is freely movable from end to end of the chute withoutbinding. More specifically the object of my invention is to provide apair of arms for connecting the pusher with the worm which pass througha pair of slots provided therefor and so arranged that crumbs fallingthrough the slots cannot by any possibility fall into the worm. To theseand other ends my invention consists in the arrangement and combinationof parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings and more particularlypointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a slicing machine in which oneembodiment of my invention is incorporated.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, parts being sectioned away to moreclearly show the construction of the chute and the pusher, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 3"-3 of Fig. 2.

Similar reference characters refer to the same parts in all the figuresof the draw- 1n T have illustrated a slicing machine embodying myinvention which comprises a frame composed of end members 1 and 2 havinghearings in which a shaft 3 is revolubly mounted. At its forward end theshaft 3 has a ulley or fly Wheel 4 secured thereto by whlch the shaft isdriven either by a belt connected with a source of power, or manually bymeans of the handle 5. Adacent the base of the machine a worm 6 isrevolubly supported in the frame members 1 and 2 and atits forward endhas a clutch member 7 secured thereto. A cooperating clutch member 8 isreciprocated by means of the rod 9 enlargwl at its upper end to form aring 10 which is seated on an eecentric secured to the shaft 3 to rotatethere with. A thumb screw 11 is connected with the eccentric and isoperable to adjust the ec centric transversely of the shaft 3 to varythe throw of the rod 9. The rod 9 is pivotally connected with the clutchmember 8 and a dog or other suitable means is adapted to connect themember 8 with the member 7 when the former moves in one direction but isreleased when moved in the reverse direction. By this constructionrotation of the shaft 3 reciprocates the clutch member 8 and imparts astep by step or intermittent turning movement to the worm 6.

A substantially U shaped chute or guideway 14 is supported in the framemembers 1 and 2 and overlies the worm 6. The chute 14 serves to supportthe material being sliced and the rear frame member 1 has an openingcommunicating with the chute 14 through which the material is fed to theknife 15 secured to the rear end of the shaft 3 and adapted to cooperatewith the rear side of the member 1 to slice the material fed through theframe member 1.

Slidably mounted on the worm shaft 6 is a block or collar 16 having anupwardly extending portion 17 having two laterally extending branches 18and 1,9 which are bent upwardly at substantially right angles and extendupwardly through longitudinal slots 20 and 21 in the bottom of the chute14. A pusher 22 is suitably secured to the upper ends of the arms 18 and19. Means are provided for releasably connecting the collar 16 with theworm 6. Said means comprises a bolt or pin 23 slidably mounted in thecollar and having its inner end formed to engage the worm groove in theshaft 6. A spring 24 is coiled about the bolt 23 and tends to press thesame into engagement with the worm. A finger piece 25 is ivoted to thecollar, adjacent the handle 26 formed integral therewith, and has an arm27 to which the outer end of the bolt 23 is pivotally connected. Bypressing the finger piece 25 when graspinr the handle 26 the pin 24 iswithdrawn from the Worm and the collar 16 together with the pusher 22carried thereby is free to be moved longitudinally of the machine. Inoperation when the pusher has been moved to the rear end of the machineintermittently to feed the material to the knife 15, by grasping thehandle 26 and withdrawing the pin 23 by means of the finger piece 25,the pusher can be returned and a new loaf or other material to be slicedplaced in the chute 14. .By providing two slots 20 and 21 ad'acent thelateral edges of the chute 14 an two arms 18 and 19 to which the pusheris secured, the pusher may be moved more freely longitudinally of themachine with less binding action, than when a single slot immediatelyover the worm is employed.

It will be noted that the worm G is located near the middle of themachine and immediately beneath the chute 14. \Vith the pusher 22carried by a single arm extending through a single slot in the chute,the slot must be near a point immediately over the worm with the resultthat crumbs falling through the slot catch in the worm groove andinterfere with the free movement of the pusher and also tend to clog theworm groove and prevent the bolt 23 from sliding freely therein. I haveovercome this diiliculty by providing two slots 20 and 21 laterally of:the worm 6 and having the bottom of the chute to protect the worm fromcrumbs.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patout is:

1. In a slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, a chutefor the material to be sliced, a worm rcvolubly mounted in the framebeneath the chute, a pusher in the chute for feeding the material to thecutter, a pair of arms to which the pusher is secured adjacent itslateral edges, and means for operatively connecting said arms with theworm.

2. In a slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, a chutehaving longitudinal slots ad acent the lateral edges of its bottom wallin which the material to be .llll'ctl is supported, a collar having apair of arms extending upwardly through the slots in the chute, arevoluble worm beneath the chute and between the slots in its bottom onwhich said collar is mounted, and a pusher in the chute carried by saidarms.

3. In a. slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, asupport in said frame for the material to be sliced having slotsadjacent its lateral edges, a worm rcvolubly supported in said framebeneath the chute, means for rotating said worm, a collar supported onsaid worm and operatively con-- nected therewith, a pair of arms on saidcollar extending upwardly through the slots in the support, and a pushercarried by said arms and adapted to cooperate with the material on thesupport.

4;. In a slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, asupport in said frame for the material to be sliced having slotsadjacent its lateral edges, a worm revolubly supported in said framebeneath the chute, means for rotating said worm, a collar movablysupported on said Worm, means for releasably connecting said collar tothe worm to be operated thereby, a pair of arms on said collar extendingupwardly through the slots in the support, and a pusher secured to saidarms.

5. In a slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, a supportfor the material to be sliced having slots adjacent its lateral edges, aworm revolubly supported in said frame beneath the chute, means forrotating said worm, a collar supported on said worm, means on saidcollar adapted to engage the worm groove to operatively connext thecollar with the worm, a pair of arms on the collar extending upwardlythrough the slots in the support, and a pusher securedto said arms.

6. In a slicing machine, the combination of a frame, a cutter, a supportfor the material to be sliced having slots adjacent its lateral edges, aworm revolubly supported in said frame beneath the chute, means forrotating said worm, a collar on said worm adapted to be operativelyconnected therewith, a pair of arms on said collar extending laterallyoutwardly and upwardly through the slots in the support, and a pushersecured to said arms.

WALTER CHANDLER KNAPP.

